


Dates and Disasters

by orphan_account



Category: Trolls (2016)
Genre: F/M, the tumblr prompt that snowballed out of control, this ended up more angsty then i meant it to be, trolls sabatoging themselves basically
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-13
Updated: 2016-11-16
Packaged: 2018-08-30 19:13:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8545738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Poppy gets a date....and kind of loses something else.





	1. Chapter 1

> Dates and Disasters
> 
>      Realizations, as most know, do not happen on their own. Most people need a little push along the road before they can figure out exactly what it is they want. As it happens, the road to realization for one newly coronated Troll Queen was paved with awkward small talk and poor song choices.
> 
> ~
> 
>      Poppy gazed at herself in the mirror and wondered why her thoughts couldn’t be as clear as the glass in front of her. She fussed with her hair, debating between gathering it into a ponytail or leaving it in her usual poof. “It looks so thin pulled together,” she muttered, pulling out her hair tie and shaking her bright pink strands back into place. “But it’s so frizzy on its own”.
> 
>     _‘Branch said he likes your ponytail’_ her thoughts whispered.
> 
>      “Branch said he thinks my ponytail is _practical_ ; that’s not the same thing.” she answered herself unconsciously, running her fingers through her hair in an attempt to calm it.
> 
> _‘Branch likes practical things, therefore he likes your ponytail’_ the voice in her head argued. _‘And he was smiling when he said it, you know that really goofy-looking smile where his eyes kind of scrunch up?’_
> 
>      “Branch’s cute goofy smile has nothing to do with this situation.” Poppy huffed, then paused as her words caught up to her. “Uggh! This is so not what I need to be thinking about right now.” She grabbed her brush and began to pass it through her hair. “Now you listen to me,” she began, jabbing the brush at her mirror-self, “You are going to stop overanalyzing everything and go on this date like you told the very nice Troll you would. You are going to have a nice picnic dinner and watch the sunset and maybe sing a few duets but most importantly you are going to _stop_ comparing everything about him to –"
> 
>      “Poppy?”
> 
>      “BRANCH!!” the pink former princess yelped, nearly colliding with the mirror in her haste to turn towards the newly blue Troll that had appeared at her pod door. “I…mean…Branch! Don’t you know how to knock?”
> 
>      “I did knock,” he replied, a small smirk appearing on his face. “More than once. I figured by the third time either you weren’t home or you were too caught up in a scrapbook to hear me, so I just came in to drop off the new shipment of supplies from Bergen Town”.
> 
>      Poppy heard him drop a basket onto her side table as she turned back to the mirror to tend to her hair. The pair passed a few moments in comfortable silence before Poppy glanced into the background of her reflection to see Branch looking at her with such a tender expression she nearly forgot how to breathe. “You look nice.” she heard him murmur, so low it was almost to himself. _‘Oh honestly Branch’_ she inwardly groaned, _‘you are not helping this situation’_.
> 
>      Still, Poppy was not one to ignore an opportunity to twirl. Calming herself with a deep breath, she turned away from the mirror and spun in order to fully show off the new glittering, midnight blue dress that flowed around her legs. “Do you like it? Satin and Chenille said the gems are supposed to look like the starry sky”.
> 
>      She came to a stop in front of him to see – with a somewhat perverse sense of satisfaction – Branch swallowing thickly, a small patch of dark blue blush staining his cheeks. “They do.” he agreed. “You—IT! It looks lovely. The dress, that is. I – it looks great”. The dark blush had spread across the grumpy Troll’s face as his eyes darted around as if he was searching for anything in the pod to look at other than her. Poppy giggled; she would never admit it to him, but there was a part of her that really enjoyed making Branch nervous like this.
> 
>       _‘A big part.’_ the voice in her head – which was beginning to sound a lot like Bridget - added.
> 
>       _‘Hush you’_ Poppy shot back. She was so caught up in her mental argument that she nearly missed Branch’s question; - although, in retrospect she honestly kind of wished she had – “What’s the occasion?”
> 
>      “Oh!” Poppy exclaimed, suddenly feeling much more nervous than she really thought she had cause to be. This was nothing more than a friend telling a friend their plans for the evening, after all. In a friendly way. As friends. (She determinedly ignored the voice-in-her-head-that-was-now-definitely-Bridget’s laughter at this thought). “I, ah,” she faltered, taking a glance at his face to try and gauge his reaction. “I….have...a…date.”
> 
>      The change was immediate, if not subtle. Any other Troll might not have noticed it, but Poppy knew Branch. She could see the sudden droop of his ears; the way the smile he wore slipped of his face; the way his eyes seemed to harden. And she felt nearly sick as she watched him try to pull himself back together and form a normal response. “Who’s…. the lucky guy?” he choked out as they both pointedly ignored the way his voice cracked halfway through the question.
> 
>      “…..Zeke.”
> 
>      “Zeke the vegetable farmer?” she nodded. “How did that happen?” As if that wasn’t the question that had kept Poppy up half the night. _‘How did this happen?’_ she asked herself again. _‘How did I let myself get talked into this?’_ To Branch however, she used the same reply that she had been using to fend her fellow villagers off for days; “He came by to discuss produce trade between us and the Bergens last week, and we got to talking, and he just…asked me.”
> 
>      Well, that wasn’t exactly how it happened, if Poppy was honest with herself.
> 
> ~
> 
>      “I, um, I’m sorry Zeke, I just…..I just need to think about it.” Poppy finished lamely, hoping the tall emerald Troll in front of her could tell from her expression how hard she was trying not to be rude.
> 
>      Zeke’s eyes softened. “Don’t worry about it Poppy.” he reassured her as he offered her a kind smile. “Just….consider the offer on the table”. Poppy shot a grateful smile at the farmer as he headed back over to his plants. Thank goodness Zeke was so nice – Poppy’s head was already swirling with too many thoughts following his invitation. If he had put any pressure on her she may have just popped. She breathed a sigh of relief and turned to find herself face-to-face with an annoyed Satin.
> 
>      “Sweetie,” she began, her expression saying she couldn’t quite believe what she had just seen, “what is wrong with you?” After looking at Poppy’s confused face for approximately 3 seconds, she rolled her eyes and turned towards an equally incredulous DJ Suki as if passing the “judging Poppy” baton. “You just let a perfectly good guy walk in and out of your dating pool without so much as a blink!”
> 
>      “I – bu-—I did not!” Poppy sputtered. “He caught me off guard – I just need some time to think!”
> 
>      “About _what_!?” Satin exclaimed, ignoring her sister’s interjections to ‘just leave it alone; let her work it out herself’. “What could you _possibly_ have to think about?”
> 
>      “Seriously Pops!” Suki interjected. “What’s wrong with Zeke?”
> 
>      “Wha— _nothing!”_ Poppy shrieked. “It’s just…..he’s not…..” She fumbled for the right words as the smirking face of a different Troll flashed inadvertently through her mind. Her friends didn’t give her any time to finish her sentence as they began peppering her with questions.
> 
>      “Not grumpy enough?”
> 
>           “Hey!”
> 
>      “Hair not blue enough?”
> 
>          “I – no!”
> 
>      “Voice not _angelic_ enough?”
> 
>          “What!?”
> 
>      Satin smirked, and then opened her mouth to ask more when she was pulled back and shushed by her sister. Chenille turned to Poppy, sympathy clear in her features. “Listen, Hun, we get it, we really do. I mean, it’s pretty obvious to anyone who spends five minutes around you two that you and Branch have got it bad for each other”.
> 
>      Poppy felt her face burn. “Wha— I – well….” she couldn’t form words; she couldn’t even form thoughts. “I don’t know .” she admitted tiredly, dropping her head to rest on Chenille’s shoulder.
> 
>      “Oh I know sweetie,” her friend said soothingly as she wrapped her arms around the confused queen. “Listen, let’s make this easy, ok? Just nod or shake your head. Biggest question: do you have feelings for Branch?”
> 
>      A strong, almost immediate nod.
> 
>      “And do you think he has feelings for you?”
> 
>      It took a few moments, but eventually Chenille felt a slow, tentative nod against her shoulder. Her satisfied smile quickly turned to a scowl directed at Suki, who chose that moment to interrupt. “Great! We’ve learned…exactly nothing! Now can you two stop dancing around each other and just get on with it? It’s been weeks!”
> 
>      “Suki!” Chenille chastised, “Have some sympathy, please! It can be really hard to tell someone how you feel if you think they might not feel the same way”.
> 
>      “Wait do you think he might not!?” questioned Poppy in a rush, her head snapping up . Her mind was spinning; she wasn’t sure what to believe at the moment. Branch must feel something for her, right? He had told her he loved her! Well no, he sang that he loved her; maybe it was just part of the song for him? Maybe he meant love as a friend? And he hadn’t said anything about it since.....
> 
>      But he was always asking for hugs and holding her hand….or was that because he was still adjusting to normal troll life? They spent so much time together…but they were working on the Troll-Bergen alliance, it’s not like they were cuddling by the fire. She was going around and around in circles, and the bickering of her friends in the background was not helping matters. She really wished Bridget was there, instead of off helping Gristle manage a new Bergen settlement. She’d be able to pull Poppy up and shake some sense into her. Literally. (Actually maybe her not being here wasn’t such a bad thing).
> 
>      Just when Poppy thought her brain would implode from all the back and forth, she felt herself grabbed and held steady by Satin. “Ok girl look, bottom line; you and Branch are up in the air right now – like way up. So why not just go out with Zeke, just once? Best-case scenario, it shocks Branch off his blue butt and he comes to sweep you off your feet. Worst-case, you end up having a nice time with a good guy. How’s that sound?”
> 
>      Poppy mulled it over for a bit, not really retaining much other than “nice time” and “good guy”. “Well….I guess that wouldn’t be too bad.”
> 
>      “Great!” Satin exclaimed, then cupped her hands around her mouth. “HEY ZEKE!”
> 
>      The farmer’s head popped up from amongst his cabbages. “Yeah?”
> 
>      “Pick her up Friday at 7!”
> 
>      “O-ok!!” he cried, beaming and dashing off towards his pod. Poppy’s friends departed as well, promising they’d be available for any advice or outfit assistance, and leaving Poppy frozen in place, wondering what exactly she had just agreed to.
> 
> ~
> 
>      Poppy was pulled back to the present by Branch’s voice, now rough and tense, making a quick hurried excuse to leave. She instinctively called for him to wait, flinching when he actually did, turning back to glare at her. “What now Poppy?” he growled, looking pointedly not at her but at the space above her right shoulder.
> 
>      “I just....I…,” she paused, feeling her own anger start to rise. “Wait why are you mad at me now?”
> 
>      “I’m not mad! Why would I possibly be mad?” Branch shot back, fuming, “I’m just a little confused as to why you apparently have no problem telling Satin and Chenille all about your date, but can’t be bothered to let me know!”
> 
>      “I would have told you! Of course I would have told you!” she screamed.
> 
>      “When?! If I hadn’t walked in on you now, would you ever have told me?” He seemed to deflate, to fall in on himself as he leaned against her doorframe. “I just don’t know why you would keep this from me; I thought we were…..” he hesitated, and finally met her eyes with a pained look, “I thought we were better friends than that”.
> 
>      Poppy blanched; she stepped towards him without even thinking; her need to comfort him overtook her anger. “Oh, oh Branch of course we’re better friends, I’m sorry, I---“ she paused as she struggled to find the right words, “I guess I was just worried about how you would react, is all.”
> 
>      “How I would react?” he echoed, making a sound somewhere between a scoff and a sigh. He was refusing to look at her again, his whole body tense, his cheeks lightly dusted with a blush. She wanted to take him into her arms and just hold him. She wanted to forget about this stupid date and just be with him. She reached her arm out to rest it on his shoulder. Then he continued, sounding mechanical. “Why would you worry about my reaction? I mean, jeez Poppy, it’s not like you need my permission to go on a date”.
> 
>      And suddenly she could strangle him. Her arm froze. _"Don't I?!?",_ she wanted to scream in his face. Instead she threw her arms in the air in defeat. “You…..you are unbelievable!”
> 
>      He sprang back up straight “And you’re impossible! Whatever, I’ve got to go”. He turned to the door and Poppy felt like something had broken between them.  
> 
>      “Fine, go ahead!” she sneered, spinning back to the mirror and raking her finger through her hair. “I have to finish getting ready anyway. For my _date"._ She felt a sick sort of pleasure as she watched his shoulders drop in the reflection, before she resolutely turned her focus to her hair.
> 
>      Several moments passed as Poppy silently fumed and fluffed. She was quite sure he had left when she heard him quietly mutter: “You…you should wear your hair up”.
> 
>      She gave an involuntary gasp and spun towards the door; he met her gaze with a sad smile. “I like your hair up”. And then he was gone.
> 
>      Poppy stood frozen for several minutes. When her limbs finally loosened, she still couldn’t function enough to do anything but launch herself at her bed, burry her face in a pillow, and scream at the top of her lungs.
> 
>      Was it too late to just swear off men altogether?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Dates and Disasters, where I take an animated children's movie with trolls and make it into something from a freakin' soap opera!
> 
> Just when you thought I couldn't make this any more overdramatic.....  
> Hope you enjoy!

     Poppy wore her hair up. She did so only because the events of the day had left it far too frizzy to do anything else with (And certainly not for any other possible reason thank-you-very-much). She ran her fingers through the ponytail to make sure everything was still in place, then smiled at Zeke as her turned towards her, hands clasped around something behind his back.

     The evening had gone well so far, she reasoned. Zeke had arrived at her pod door at promptly 7pm, looking very sharp with his jade hair neatly combed and dark blue jacket worn over his usual overalls that matched her new dress perfectly – she suspected he had Satin and Chenille to thank for that. He had found a great spot to watch the sunset from, he told her, but then surprised her by leading her towards the bottom of the Troll Tree, to a small knotted hole nearly at the base of the trunk. Various cushions and pillows had been laid out to make sure the space was comfortable - which, Poppy noted as they settled in, was a very sweet touch.

     Zeke, she had found, was very sweet himself. He had worked on his father's farm since he was small, but his favorite place to be was in the kitchen with his mother, using their crops to make new dishes to share with friends and family. He was the oldest of 5 children -something Poppy as an only child had found fascinating – and loved accompanying them on his guitar while they sang their newest favorite song. He was, as Satin had said, a genuinely good guy.

     He was also a genius when it came to picking sunset-watching spots. When they had first arrived Poppy had a hard time seeing what was so special about it, but as the sun began to dip lower, the leaves and branches up overhead came alive, glowing with different shades of red and gold as if they had been set ablaze. The sight had nearly taken Poppy's breath away. "This is amazing Zeke," she had whispered, spellbound by the kaleidoscope of colors surrounding them. "I never would have thought to come this far down, but this is…fantastic."

     "Yeah," he agreed, smiling over at her, "a lot of Trolls go as high up as they can because they think it'll be the better view, but I think this is pretty spectacular too."

     "Oh yeah, Branch and I found a spot right in the canopy." Poppy murmured without thinking. "You can see for miles; sometimes we even stay there until the moon comes out". She froze, biting her lip as her brain caught up to the words that had come out of her mouth. _'Bad Poppy!'_ she internally chastised. ' _You are on a date! With someone-who-is-not-Branch stop bringing him up!'_ What was wrong with her? Maybe the fifth reminder would stick. "Buuuut it's nowhere near as nice as this!" she covered hastily, relieved to see that Zeke's expression didn't appear annoyed, rather that he was looking at her with a bemused grin.

     "Well, I'm glad you like it." he said simply. "Do me a favor?"

     Poppy raised her eyebrows, smirking. "Does this favor have anything to do with what you have behind your back?"

     "Maaaaybe" Zeke drawled, shooting her a toothy grin. "Just close your eyes; there's something we've been growing I want you to try". Poppy giggled, but obliged; closing her eyes and opening her mouth slightly. "Ready?" Zeke asked, waiting for her nod before he popped something small and rounded into her mouth. She rolled the object around in her mouth for a few moments, trying to place the strange, somewhat spiny texture.

     Then she bit down and the flavor exploded; sweet, juicy, and maybe a little bit earthy. "Strawberries!" she exclaimed, her eyes popping open wide in excitement. "We haven't had strawberries for 20 years! We could never get them to grow!"

     Zeke laughed at her gleeful expression. "Yeah," he began, grabbing one of the tiny red fruits for himself, "turns out that the fertilizer the Bergens use makes them grow like weeds. They never really utilized the crops they had – said it was 'too happy' of a fruit, whatever that means. So they said we could help ourselves!"

     "That's great Zeke!" Poppy beamed, happily chewing on another strawberry. "What's in the fertilizer that makes it so special?"

     He hummed for a moment, as if considering. "How about I tell you after we finish these?"

     Poppy stopped chewing immediately. What would be so bad that it would ruin the fruit…? Oh. Oh no, _ew_. Poppy swallowed what was left of her berry, sticking her tongue out in disgust while she shot a glare at a laughing Zeke. "Kidding! Kidding!" he chortled, hands held in front of him as if to ward off her anger. "They use compost, just like we do! It's just their soil that makes the difference!"

     Poppy tried her best to keep glaring at the Troll in front of her, but before long a giggle had escaped and then she was laughing out loud along with him. Zeke was fun; she was actually having a really good time. _'I'm glad I came'._ She thought warmly.

     Tuning back into the conversation, she found Zeke mid-sentence "…all the pies and tarts we can make with them. And they make great jam and jelly; we can stockpile loads, just in case anything happens"

     "Stockpile?" Poppy laughed, "Now you sound like Branch". She paused, realized what she had said, then groaned loudly, covering her face with her hands in annoyance. "I'm sorry, really. I don't know why I keep mentioning him".

     Zeke pulled her hands away with a soft chuckle. "Poppy, it's ok." She only rolled her eyes and groaned in response. "It is!" he insisted, "You and Branch have been through a lot together; you have a connection. Frankly I'd be more surprised if you didn't mention him. Poppy, listen," he continued as she avoided meeting his eyes, "I'm ok if you're ok. Are you ok?"

     Poppy drew in a slow breath, letting it out in a huff as pods in the branches overhead began glowing in the dim twilight. "I'm ok." She muttered – more to herself than Zeke – "Of course I'm ok. I am absolutely fine because we are having a nice time and it will not be ruined by that sour grape of a Troll _I will not allow it"._ Another deep breath, in, and out, and she looked up at Zeke with a grateful smile. "I'm ok. Let's just….talk about something else".

     "Sure" Zeke smiled. "Or…." He reached behind him, pulling a well-loved guitar covered in stickers bearing the logo of his family's farm, "we could sing for a bit? That helps takes my mind off of things."

    _'Zeke, you are wonderful'_ Poppy grinned. "I would love to". The emerald Troll grinned back as he began strumming familiar notes. Poppy closed her eyes, relaxed, and began to sing. "Stars shining bright above you…"

     A memory flashed through her mind; an exasperated grey Troll lying by the fireside, eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Really? Seriously? More singing?" echoing in her ears as if he had just spoken the words out loud. Startled, Poppy let out a gasp. Her eyes opened wide and her voice died off.

     "Poppy?" she distantly heard Zeke stop strumming.

     "Oh, sorry, I'm fine. Let's maybe try a different song?"

     They cycled through song after song, every one calling up an uninvited memory for Poppy. Branch helping her decorate her new pod, Branch joining her Troll Care class in a Parent's Day performance, Branch holding her close as they huddled under a toadstool in the rain, Branch's face falling when he heard about her date…. god, what was _wrong_ with her?!

     Each time Poppy suddenly stopped short. After a while she stopped singing altogether, Zeke playing on while she drowned in her thoughts. She stared straight ahead, paying no attention to anything around her until she heard a familiar chord progression.

     "You with the sad eyes…."

     Her eyes dropped shut of their own accord. Zeke continued singing, but she could no longer hear him. In her mind, she was back in that pot, drained of color and utterly hopeless. And then she could hear his voice, clear and strong even after 20 years, singing only for her. A warm feeling began to build in her chest, filling her up and making her whole again. She could feel his hand as he gently turned her face towards him; feel the meaning behind his words as he looked into her eyes with such emotion, such raw, undisguised love, and oh god how could she have ever had any doubt?

     Her eyes snapped open, startled when she found the eyes she was looking into were emerald green, and not electric blue. She sprang up without thinking, knocking into the guitar and putting an abrupt stop to Zeke's strumming. "Zeke, I can't do this". The words tumbled out in a rush, her eyes wide and teary. "I can't do this. I thought I could but I can't and I'm so sorry I'm a horrible Troll and I'm so so so sorry I can't believe –"

    "Poppy."

     "I'm so sorry Zeke, but there's someone else I should be here with. Oh! No, that sounds horrible; I'm horrible, I'm sorry, please don't hate me."

     "Poppy!"

     "Or you can hate me, I would hate me, what kind of Troll does this to someone? You're so nice and sweet and I just led you on and now I'm doing this oh I'm _horrible_ and you're so _good_ and _nice_ and I'm _so_ sorry I can't believe I'm—"

     "POPPY!" Zeke grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her. "Breathe." He took several deep breaths, in and out, motioning for her to follow. Once her face had relaxed and the flush on her cheeks had faded, he continued. "It's alright".

     "How can you say that!?" she cried, hands reaching up to wipe furiously at the tears already welling up again. "You have been nothing but kind and sweet and charming and I've done nothing but not listen and lie to you and lead you on".

     She was shocked to hear Zeke chuckling. "Oh Poppy, I think the only person you were lying to was yourself." She let out a rather loud and unladylike snort, making him laugh even more. "Listen, I had a great time tonight" -she shot him a look that clearly said she didn't believe him – "this part notwithstanding."

     "If I'm being honest," he continued, "I didn't think you would ever actually say yes – I thought you were hung up on Branch. Guess I was right about that" he shot her a teasing smile, which finally earned him a muffled giggle. "But you did, and I had fun tonight. And I think we would still have fun together if we were just friends. How about you?"

     Poppy sniffled, but her face broke into a watery smile. "I think that would be possible".

     "Good." he grinned. "And now, if you're being honest with yourself, I think you'll agree that your heart decided how tonight was going to go long before your head caught up".

 _'That's what I've been trying to say!'_ Bridget's voice exclaimed in her mind. "I guess you're right." Poppy said slowly. "Are you sure you're not mad?"

     "Well, can't say I'm not a little disappointed." he confessed. "Thought I might get a kiss from a queen tonight". The wink he sent her way got him a real laugh back. "But I also want my queen to be happy, and I think you'll agree I'm not the best Troll for that job. Now go on and get out of here – you've got a grumpy hermit waiting for you somewhere in this tree".

     Poppy's heart felt like it would burst as she stood on her tiptoes and kissed Zeke on the cheek. "There's your kiss." she giggled, pulling back to see a wide grin break out on his face. "Thank you Zeke. You really are amazing".

     "Yeah yeah, I know, I know" he laughed as she backed away and started climbing the stairs on the side of the trunk back to the village.

     "Good luck, Poppy."

**Author's Note:**

> So this was originally supposed to be a pretty short and light elaboration fic on this Tumblr post (http://cupcakes-and-rainbows.tumblr.com/post/153103464972/ok-so-im-so-obsessed-with-that-poppy-going-on-a), but ..... it kind of ran away from me and ended up way longer and way more full of angst? (mostly because Poppy and Branch are being dramatic af idiots). So I'm just gonna go with it, see where it goes.


End file.
